Enjoying Puglia like locals do

Gallipoli,Italy: The city is divided into two parts, old and new. The old part, the historic centre, is located on an island that is linked to the mainland by a 16th century bridge. The main activities of Gallipoli are based on fishing and tourism.

Gallipoli, Italy: Overlooking the lower terrace of Il Bastione restaurant and the clear blue watesr of the Ionian Sea.

The Roman amphitheatre in Lecce, Italy, is still used to this day for community productions.

Alberobello, Italy: Stone houses called "trulli" line the streets of Alberobello in the Valle d'Itria in Southern Puglia. Alberobello is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Lecce, Italy: Sharing a laugh with with Maurizio Ortona, his two children and his mother on the steps of the Pizza & Co shop. (Photo courtesy Espressino Travel.)

Lecce, Italy: Pizza and “Birrozza” craft beer are served outside the Pizza and Co. shop, and Giorgio and Sara are ready to dig in. (Photo courtesy Espressino Travel.)

Ostuni, Italy: a five-sample flight of delicious gelato from the Cremeria alla Scala is a great way to try to pin down a favourite flavour. (Photo courtesy Espressino Travel.)

Puglia, Italy: Most of the 11,000 olive trees at the Masseria Melcarne's historic olive oil farm were planted 20 years ago, but a few of them are hundreds of years old. (Photo courtesy Espressino Travel.)

Lecce, Italy: Daniele, the thoroughly Italian driver.

Cheese and other ingredients are sourced from local producers. — Espressino Travel files

The Castello Monaci winery near Lecce grows red grapes, including the indigenous Primitivo and Negroamaro varieties.

LECCE, Italy — Whether you’re a novice hungry for your first taste of the Italian experience or a seasoned traveller keen to get off the tourist track, there’s a new boutique travel option to take the hassle out of holidaying like a local.

Lili Okuyama and Robert Collins came up with the concept in the southern Italian region of Puglia. They first visited the area in order to study Italian and fell in love not only with its natural beauty, history and culture, but with its people. Finding themselves drawn back to Puglia time and again, over the years they have “gone native.” This led to the Vancouver couple last year launching Espressino Travel — personalized tours that enable small groups of culinary and other adventurers to get the most out of the area while keeping hassle to a minimum.

The Salento is the “heel of Italy’s boot” — a sun-drenched patch of southern Puglia that Italians feel has some of their best beaches, wines and local dishes. It’s hard to find a decent guidebook on the region, so discovering its many charms as a solo traveller requires considerable effort and hours of Internet time fraught with uncertain choices. Lili and Robert’s wealth of community connections and personal relationships give their guests access to and an appreciation of a local scene that most tourists never get.

“After a short time living in Lecce we became part of a community … it was hard not to fall in love with it,” Okuyama says. “That’s the most rewarding part — connecting travellers with locals and giving them that authentic experience that they wouldn’t have been able to find without us.”

Four days spent eating, drinking and soaking up the Salento vibe demonstrated the value of their approach — seeing Puglia as a new friend, rather than a client:

Day 1

Warm sunlight fills the garden courtyard of the Mantatelure guest house in the centre of Lecce — the Salento’s baroque capital. New arrivals begin their culinary odyssey with an artful breakfast buffet featuring pasticciotto (a pastry unique to the region), local fruits, artisanal cheeses, cured meats and “espressino” coffee. The habit of looking forward to the next meal before finishing the current one starts early.

Next up is a walking tour of Lecce, complete with historical and cultural commentary by Collins. The city shows signs of its ancient Roman and Greek origins (the Roman amphitheatre is still used for community productions) and Lecce’s economic strength over the years, combined with a unique soft stone found in the area, has given rise to the historic centre’s rich baroque architecture.

“The best of Lecce is on the street,” Collins says.

A pleasant stroll through the narrow cobblestone alleys ends at the Alle Due Corti for a long lunch personally hosted by owner Rosalba De Carlo and her family. De Carlo resurrected rustic “cucina povera” Salento cuisine in her restaurant, using locally sourced “humble” ingredients and the traditional knowledge she obtained from generations of nearby farm families. This has earned her an international reputation and UNESCO recognition for preserving this authentic, hearty and delicious cuisine.

Lunch ends with an introduction to Daniele, the tour van’s thoroughly Italian driver. Daniele’s marginal grip on English is more than made up for by his sardonic smile and he expertly guides the cool and comfortable van through narrow streets and picturesque lanes to the award-winning Castello Monaci Winery.

Visitors to the winery are given a comprehensive look at the surprising scale and complexity of Puglia’s wine. Vineyards of indigenous Primitivo and Negroamaro varieties stretch out as far as the eye can see. Anyone who falls in love with the powerful, flavoursome vintages is happy to learn the winery has recently started to export its products to North America.

After a delightful tasting of white, red and rose wines, the group repairs to the comfort of the Mantatelure guest house for some restorative free time. Evening consists of a leisurely “passeggiata” through Lecce’s lively street life and a curbside nightcap as locals spill onto the streets from neighbouring bars and restaurants. The chic rooms and amenities at the Mantatelure are a welcome end to an active day.

Day 2

Italian family time on a Sunday — especially in southern regions — often revolves around a gargantuan midday meal lovingly prepared for hours in advance.

Such a feast awaits at Masseria Melcarne — formed in part by a rustic former watchtower that now serves as a summer home and food mecca.

“Our cooking instructor, Gianna, told us about Masseria Melcarne, a historic olive oil farm that locals love,” Okuyama says. “It’s only 20 minutes from Lecce, yet it seems completely untouched by tourism. No one there speaks a word of English.”

After a tour of the dusty olive groves and samples of the masseria’s organic, traditionally produced olive oils, the lucky guests sit down for an endless parade of plates heaped with hearty Salento fare.

“Not only do they produce great small-batch olive oil in their own press, but their family-run restaurant celebrates and revives traditional vegetable dishes,” Okuyama continued. “This isn’t just local cuisine — it’s kilometre-zero eating. And most importantly, it’s fun!”

The van ride that follows en route to Otranto includes a visit to a nearby beach club, where rented beach loungers and colourful umbrellas sit at the ready and the Adriatic Sea’s aquamarine beckons. Wading and talking is the Italian way to enjoy a beach day, but swimming is irresistible for North Americans eager for full refreshment.

A gelato stop at Dentoni in Torre dell’Orso is a must on the way to Otranto and the nocciolino — a Puglia specialty of hazelnut gelato, espresso and roasted hazelnuts — is another heavenly way to beat the heat while taking in a great beach view.

Encounters of the local kind continue a half-hour down the road in the historic centre of Otranto. Walking is a pleasure here, whether on narrow paved alleys, stunning mosaic church floors or along the charming ocean promenade. It’s along that sea walk sunset cocktails are served al fresco.

All that sea air can make a traveller hungry and seafood should be top of menu. It certainly is at Laltro Baffo on an Otranto side street. More elegant than the seaside haunts, Laltro Baffo serves up the best the Adriatic has to offer.

“Fresh seafood rules on the coast,” Collins tells the group, “while inland, vegetables regularly replace meat at the heart of the secondo. It’s not that the Salentini are vegetarians. It’s just that the vegetables — peppers, eggplant, chickpeas, wild greens — taste so good, there’s simply no need to add meat to the plate.”

Sun soaked and satiated, travellers happily pour into the Espressino van for a quiet ride home to the Mantatelure and bed.

Day 3

Corks get popped well before noon at Pizza & Co. in the heart of Lecce (a stone’s throw from ruins of the Roman amphitheatre), and co-owner Maurizio Ortona wouldn’t have it any other way. Bottles of craft beer get opened, too. It’s all part of Maurizio and his brother’s plan to infiltrate the Salentino culinary scene with his tempting Neapolitan pizzas. Pizza & Co. will only share its secrets with Espressino clients. That means teaching them how to create, cook and consume these treats — Ortona’s wife, mother and children show up to help. A relaxing couple of hours is spent chatting and making pizzas, before everyone sits down to eat and drink on the sidewalk.

Because Alberobello, in the Valle d’Itria, can be easily reached on the way to the white city of Ostuni — and because it’s a UNESCO world heritage site based on its cute trulli (stone huts) — it rates a stop. It’s probably the most heavily touristed site on the tour, but picture worthy and a must-see.

Further down the road, the Joni Mitchell line about “ice cream castles in the air” comes to mind on arrival in the beautiful hilltop town of Ostuni. After tearing themselves away from breathtaking views of the white marble architecture and the Adriatic in the distance, travellers once again immerse themselves in local culture. Which means, of course, that it’s time to eat.

Cremeria alla Scala lies down a stone staircase in a square that was once home to a fish market. It is here that another passionate Italian family uses the place to craft world-class gelato. A brief demonstration leads to the payoff — nuts, fruits and coffees are transformed into frozen ecstasy. One concoction composed of mandarin orange and almond commemorates Sant’Oronzo, the patron saint of Lecce.

The walking tour of Ostuni’s shop-lined streets and historic sites comes in handy for those who wish to minimize their dietary guilt. That’s particularly true of the hike up a steep laneway to Hotel La Sommita, or hotel at the summit. Guilt relief is temporary, however, as guests next tuck into the goodies offered on a spectacular multi-levelled and modern terrace at this five-star property.

The sun begins to set in front of those seeking a refreshing aperitivo, and they are delighted to also receive trays of exquisite appies of local origin served on tufa rock and olive wood.

A quiet ride home has to wait in this case, as the dinner hour approaches.

Osteria Piazzetta Cattedrale lies back down the hill, in the deepening shadows of an Ostuni back street. Fears that an appetite cannot be revived quickly dissipate, as superb service and cosy confines quickly guide travellers back on their gastronomic journey. It’s all about the meat here — well, there’s wine, too. The food and wine pairings are original and unique to the area, the portions are big, and it’s all prepared and served by a husband-and-wife team that can’t do enough for their guests.

Now, where’s Daniele with that van?

Day 4

Time to go to Gallipoli — no, not the Turkish peninsula that was the scene of such carnage in the First World War. Italy’s Gallipoli is an attractive fishing town facing the Ionian Sea, on the western side of the Salentine Peninsula. Its yellow tones stand in contrast to stark-white Ostuni, and the welcome is warm.

A delicious seafood lunch is served on the Il Bastione terrace, perched on the old stone wall that surrounds the historic centre/island.

The walk through Gallipoli will remind some travellers of Greek ports, and its roots as a fishing centre still show in a working-town way that many other coastal towns no longer exhibit.

As this is the final day of the tour, Daniele is eager to return his charges to the Lecce guest house for some free time, and (you guessed it) — dinner preparations. In this case, it’s all hands on deck as the entire group shops the market, prepares the food under the direction of chef Gianna Greco, and enjoys a farewell party at the Cooking Experience school.

The communal table groans under the weight of a wide variety of dishes, the wine flows and a local pizzica (or folk) band surprises guests with a medley of traditional tunes in the adjoining courtyard. Locals and guests alike join in the dancing. Toasts are joyful, but touched with sadness as this boutique adventure comes to an end.

No one (save Daniele) had to park a vehicle in a crowded town centre; find their way to the perfect beach; secure a reservation to a highly regarded restaurant; or, be the designated driver.

In short, this type of odyssey ensures that this intriguing part of Italy is seen as a traveller rather than as a tourist.

The writer was a guest of Espressino Travel, which neither read nor approved this story.

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